Abstract

This dissertation looks to investigate the intricate dramaturgies of Wilson’s practice by focusing on the devising process he has shared with a number of composers and sounds artists, namely Philip Glass, Hans-Peter Kuhn, Tom Waits, and Antony Hegarty. This will challenge the notion of Wilson being the sole author of “Wilsonian theatre,” as well as argue for the importance of music within his practice. It will also engage with ideas of musicalization, as defined by Hans-Thies Lehmann, by performing a close analysis of several of productions that Wilson has directed, such as Einstein on the Beach (1976), Christoph Gluck’s Alcestes (1987), Orlando (1989), The Black Rider (1990), Madama Butterfly (1993), and The Life and Death of Marina Abramović (2011).